Night Drive
by Thranduil's Bossy Elk
Summary: Hannibal drives Will home along the dark Wolftrap roads when they almost hit an animal. Will is fascinated by the way Hannibal drives. Slight Hannigram. Takes place PRE ALL BAD THINGS T T Or at least pre-Will KNOWS any bad things.


_So I've always been fascinated by the scenes where Hannibal drives Will, Alana, and Abigail around. It seems so strange to see him doing such a commonplace task, and I find that the act of driving brings out a side of him that we don't often see. Does he listen to music while he drives? How does he react to road obstacles? Anyways, this is a little one-shot about Will's own fascination with watching Hannibal drive. _  
_I don't own anything from "Hannibal", waaah. _

* * *

Night Drive

Will had never quite been able to reconcile Hannibal's elegant presence with the everyday routines of modern life. Hannibal seemed made for a different time, and Will could only ever imagine him using anything remotely modern while in his kitchen.

So when Hannibal drove his sleek, black sedan, Will tried his hardest to keep his fascination in check. Hannibal was a smooth driver- he never sped or appeared in a hurry. In contrast, Will knew that his own method of driving was to swear profusely and grip the wheel in a chokehold as he struggled through traffic. Driving tired Will out immensely, and he much preferred the quiet of the woods around his house.

To Will, Hannibal's way of driving exuded control and power. Hannibal in control made Will feel safe. After all, who should be a rock of stability for him if not his friend and therapist?

* * *

"Is something the matter, Will?"

Will caught himself staring and quickly shifted his gaze to the dimly lit road ahead of them. He berated himself, God knows what Hannibal must think of his creepy staring. He adjusted his glasses. Bad enough that Jack and the forensic team thought he was nuts, he didn't need Hannibal drawing the same conclusion.

"Sorry", Will murmured, flushing slightly in the darkness.

The corners of Hannibal's mouth turned up.

"I wondered if there was something on my face," he said lightly, turning the car's wheel to keep up with the winding roads of Wolftrap.

Will watched the passing trees, familiar to his eyes. Hannibal's offer to drive him home after Jack Crawford and the police cars had more or less forgotten him had been very welcome.

They drove in companionable silence for a while, the soft purr of the car's engine making Will sleepy. Strange images floated through his brain as the landscape sped by. He imagined that he and Alana were having dinner with Hannibal. Alana sipped her wine and laughed pleasantly, and somehow it was summer and the windows were open. A breeze ruffled his own curly hair. Hannibal was toasting something; Will felt happy.

A sudden jerk pitched Will forward hard, his motion stopped by something strong across his chest. Will's half-dreams vanished and he hitched his glasses back up his nose and looked around. His motion hadn't been stopped by the seatbelt, but rather by Hannibal's outflung arm across his chest.

"W-what happened?" Will asked shakily, trying to see ahead of them.

"A deer crossed the road," Hannibal murmured, still looking ahead for the animal. "I apologize for our sudden stop, you almost became acquainted with my dashboard."

Will regretted leaving his daydreams so abruptly, but the solidly grounding arm across his chest felt better than half-remembered imaginings. Better in a different way. This was real, tangible. Hannibal cared that he didn't bang his head on the dashboard. After the day he'd had and Jack's forgetting to drive him home, Hannibal's concern was welcome.

Hannibal turned his head to regard Will closely, making sure he was alright. Will gave a slight smile and nodded.

Hannibal withdrew his arm, letting it rest on the emergency brake between them as the car started to move forward again.

Will watched out of the corner of his eye as Hannibal drove one-handed. As with everything Hannibal did, the motion was easy and graceful. There was an element of protectiveness to Hannibal that Will enjoyed seeing when it manifested. Being on the receiving end of that protection warmed Will. He felt the tension leave his body slowly, not just tension from the sudden stop but also from his week spent at the FBI.

"I'm glad you stopped", Will said, breaking the silence. "A lot of people just drive on when they hit animals around here."

Hannibal looked over at him briefly. "Of course, Will. Although I do not keep an animal myself I would not abide cruelty to one."

Will turned his head to observe Hannibal again. The graceful lines of his body seemed at one with the purring car, and for once Will didn't force himself to look away immediately. He smiled slightly.

"I'm glad."

* * *

_Just for laughs, below is the first draft of this story XD :  
_

_"what if they were driving around in the lectermobile and hannibal has to make a sudden stop to avoid hitting something and he flings his arm out to protect will.. and will is like WTH omg hanni why.. is this cause u lurve me? and hanni is like oh yes will i lurve you. the end."_


End file.
